New to the Plan

Everything you need to know about your Plan can be found right here. Find out more about the advantages of a defined benefit pension plan, view your Plan’s features, learn how to prepare for retirement and more. 

1. The Plan is a defined benefit plan, meaning you will receive a secure, predictable income in retirement. 

2. Your employer handles your enrolment in the Plan, which is mandatory for permanent employees.

3. Membership in the Plan ends generally if you leave your job, die or retire.

4. Your contributions to the Plan are deducted from your bi-weekly pay and your contributions are matched by your employer.

5. You may have the option to buy back past service with an employer who participates in the Plan or past service in another registered pension plan.

6. You could transfer your pension service to or from another pension plan if there is a transfer agreement in place. Transfers to and from the OPSEU Pension Plan.

7. We provide you with an Annual Pension Statement every year which outlines important information including your pension service and contributions earned in the last year, estimated retirement dates and pension amount, as well as spousal and beneficiary information.

8. We assign you a unique OPTrust ID number that identifies you in our system. Use this ID number to log into your Online Services account.

9. A pension may also be payable to your spouse or dependent children, in the event of your death. 

10. We are focused on serving our members. See our Service Delivery Standards.

1. Apply for a buyback or pension service transfer (if applicable)

   If you’d like to apply to buy back past service or transfer in pension service from another plan, be sure to do it soon, as certain deadlines apply.

2. Provide spouse, child(ren) and beneficiary information

   Send us a copy of:

   • Member Spousal Information and Beneficiary Designation (OPTrust 1015) form

   • Statement of Marital Status (OPTrust 3007) form (if applicable)

   • Disabled Child Information (OPTrust 1065) form (if applicable)

   • Your proof of spousal relationship (if applicable)

   • Your spouse’s proof of age (if applicable)

3. Make sure to register for Online Services

   When you receive your OPTrust ID (by email or regular mail), you’ll be able to log in to your Online Services account, see your personal information and update your beneficiaries.